Last post for a a couple of weeks. The blog, Dave and I are going on vacation. See you soon!

QUESTION: How many eggs do you eat in a week, Alyce?

ANSWER: As many as I can!! (Not really.)

It seems every year there’s a new answer to the old egg question, “How many eggs should I eat each week?” Just like several other questions about diet and health, this can be a confusing one. I refuse to let it be.

Typically I limit myself to 4 eggs a week and have for a long time–no matter what the current theory. This changes if I’m trying to quickly lose a pound or two, need an instant dinner, am with a friend who’s made fresh hollandaise for a benedict, or am on a cruise where someone shows up with a hot veggie omelet every morning for a week. I just don’t let it go on very long and there a lot of reasons for that. For instance, I think it’s important to eat a wide variety of foods, even for breakfast, for optimal health. For instance, yogurt and fruit are a permanent necessity for my body’s comfort, so I eat them really often–if not for breakfast, then for a snack later on. (This meal just about solves that issue in one fell swoop!!) I’m fortunate that at nearly 66, I have no cholesterol problems and don’t have Type-2 diabetes; health concerns come into play when we’re talking diet and/or saturated fat–which is, among other things, what’s in egg yolks-though not in huge amounts. Eat more egg whites if that’s an issue for you. (You can even buy a carton of egg whites if you don’t have a dog to give the yolks to.) They’re yummy cooked together with sautéed vegetables like this:

Read the Cleveland Clinic’s Current Take on the Egg Question

Read Harvard Health’s article, “Are Eggs Risky for Heart Health?”

The biggest reason I’m so forever in love with eggs is they’re beyond versatile–and I grew up with gorgeous, deep oranged-yolk farm eggs. Thanks, Mr. Munson. There’s a reason we hear “the incredible, edible egg” so often. Lots of other pluses come to mind, but six quick ones follow. Eggs are: inexpensive, healthy, low in calories, easily available, fast-cooking, and keep a long while in the fridge–or on the counter, depending on where you live. If you walk into a corner shop in the UK or in France, the eggs are right there on the shelf–not in the refrigerated section. The U.S. is too squeaky clean for that. Read on…

Why the U.S. Chills Its Eggs and Most of the World Doesn’t (NPR)

While you might find my egg cooking a bit different than yours, I’d encourage you to loosen up, engage your ingredient imagination, and add to your eggs something you never thought of. Last night’s leftover vegetables or diced roast pork would make a great frittata.

Egg nutrition facts

Throw in that cup of cooked rice or chop up some fried potatoes or cold pasta for a waste not, want not meal. Make a jam-filled omelet. Add chopped pickled jalapeños to egg salad. What about tipping in a few minced toasted pecans to deviled eggs? The egg is totally limitless and is the quintessential go-to for Meatless Mondays.

Read about the best protein pancake mix here.

Tomatoes are one of my favorite additions–especially when tomatoes are at their peak. When they’re not, you can sauté them up a little first….

Saturday’s breakfast took just that particular turn, but I then added yogurt to which I’d stirred in some minced fresh chives and promptly chowed down. All done in under five minutes. Who needs fast food when you have eggs in the fridge? Try this:

Pour in eggs beaten with a bit of water along with salt and pepper:

Let the yogurt warm through, garnish with more chives, et voila: breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The innovative cook might sneak in crisply-fried bacon, sautéed garlic, red pepper flakes, or oh-so-thinly-sliced red or sweet onions. The veggie-loving cook will consider a handful of fresh baby spinach, diced ripe avocado, or chopped cooked green beans from last night’s dinner. Larger appetites? Serve this scramble over well-buttered toast or hash browns.

WINE: Eggs aren’t the easiest food with which to pair wine, but my “pairing the prep and not the protein” is the rule here. In other words, I’m looking at creamy, tangy yogurt and sweet tomatoes. Since eggs are served as often for dinner as for breakfast today, egg wines become a thing. I’d go with an unoaked Chardonnay, but traditional wisdom would include the possibility of bubbles, too. No need to break the bank with Champagne prices, but do fetch home a Spanish Cava or Italian Prosecco. Adding sausage or shredded prosciutto to your scramble? Bring out a light red. More wine and egg pairings here.

AT HOME…

It’s cooling off a little, if not much, here in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. I’ve been working on food for a memorial reception and enjoying the fine baking weather:

In between batches, I’m watching the world go by with my feet up–right after yoga practice.

The new header photo on the blog is our table at Thanksgiving or two ago when we invited the neighbors for a small, but sweet gathering. A few touches like tying up plain white napkins with orange and green string and using pie pumpkins and fresh sage from my garden in tiny glasses for decoration give this table an all-fall festive feel for pennies. A large floral piece, though beautiful, would just fill the table, block vision, and be thrown away in a few days.

By the way, if you didn’t catch it at the beginning, the blog and Dave and I’ll be going on vacation for a couple of weeks after this post. I’ll see you on the flip side when I’ll be featuring Holiday Vegetable recipes from my October Healthy Living Cooking Class.

In the meantime, if you need an easy fall dinner, try the slow cooker meal below. The pumpkin in the chili doesn’t make the stew taste pumpkin-y, but merely creates a deeper, richer flavor and a healthy more-veggie twist on your same-old turkey chili. Try this:

Cook, breathe, and enjoy September turning into October,

Alyce